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Posts categorized "Religion"

September 30, 2015

For the eighth year, the Richmond SPCA will join with the congregation of Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church this Sunday for a beloved annual tradition of the Blessing of the Animals. The service will be held at 10 a.m. in Monroe Park on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015. All creatures great and small are invited to join their guardians for the pet-friendly outdoor worship service. Dogs, cats, chickens, horses and lizards have all been brought to receive a special blessing, as have stuffed animal proxies and photos of pets unable to attend.

We talked with Rev. Bo Millner, Rector of Grace and Holy Trinity Church, about the significance of this event for his church and the importance of collaboration with the Richmond SPCA.

Grace and Holy Trinity Church is an inclusive and spirited community which transforms lives. With Christ at the center, we seek, serve and care for each other and those around us. The Richmond SPCA is based on the principle that every life matters. The Richmond SPCA website notes: “At all times and in every way, we are advocates for animals. We provide for their safety and comfort, strive to alleviate their suffering and work to place them in homes that provide a responsible lifetime commitment to them.” This is transformative work on behalf of God’s good creation and is in harmony with the mission of Grace and Holy Trinity Church.

Rev. Millner prepares to bless a cat who came to the 2014 Blessing service in a custom basket on her guardian's bicycle.

It is especially appropriate that we partner with the Richmond SPCA as we celebrate St. Francis. Stories abound where Francis communicates with animals and celebrates the human connection with all creation. We believe that the transformation God brings about includes not simply human beings, but all of creation. As the seer in the Book of Revelation has it, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth…And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: ‘Look! The dwelling place of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people…He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more…And the one seated on the throne said: ‘Look! I am making all things new!’” (21:1ff) It is that vision of redemption, of a new heavens and a new earth, of complete transformation that we celebrate with the pet blessing and in honor of St. Francis. We are grateful to serve and celebrate, arm in arm with the Richmond SPCA.

Please join us in celebration of our companion animals and all creation this Sunday. In addition to welcoming your pets our Tail Wag'N adoption vehicle will be on site with pets available for adoption. Children will have the opportunity to participate in animal-themed crafts with our Humane Education Department.

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October 30, 2013

Each year Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church conducts a joint Blessing of the Animals Service with the Richmond SPCA for the occasion of Saint Francis Day. The pet-friendly service is held outdoors in Monroe Park, facing the church across Laurel Street. It is a wonderfully joyous event for “all creatures great and small.”

At this year’s service, Rev. Bo Millner, Rector of GHTC, delivered a sermon from Luke 16:19-31, the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Millner says that above all the passage is about love, and we so thoroughly enjoyed his message that we wanted to share it with the readers of our blog:

"Love of God; love of neighbor – that is what this parable lifts up. That is what it calls us to do. So ultimately it is not about the fear of hell, but it is a call to love, to listen to the challenge of scripture and love god, love your neighbor.

You see, this great reversal that is talked about in the parable, where the rich person is in torment and the poor man is consoled, that great reversal is already happening in the ministry and work of Jesus. This parable is addressed to Jesus’ critics on some level. People who were saying to Jesus, “Why do you hang out with prostitutes, corrupt and unpatriotic tax collectors, with the unclean.” Jesus is casting wide the net of love and gathering all those in who had been marginalized. Jesus wanted everyone to join him in that wide embrace

Now, I know that there is a strong tradition in religion that uses fear – fear of hell, fear of punishment – as motivation for people. And I know that there are times in scripture where hard punishments are meted out. Yet, when all is said and done, Jesus who reveals God to us most clearly is all about love. This parable is an urgent call to love God by loving those who cry out for help.

You all know this event is jointly sponsored by GHTC and the Richmond SPCA. The Richmond SPCA has a no-kill policy, but they also have a 'don’t kill the joy' policy when it comes to training animals. I was talking this week to Sarah Babcock who is in charge of teaching training. She told me that when she was growing up, training was all about choke collars and inflicting punishment. When it came time for training and she got the collar out, she said her puppy ran and hid.

Now she uses positive reinforcement techniques and teaches others how to do it. When she goes to get the dogs for training time now, they don’t run and hide. They are all saying 'Me! Me! Me! I want to try!'

You see, here’s the thing. Sarah agreed that you can get your dog to do what you want by using punishment, but what you lose is the relationship, the intimacy, the connection that the animal can have with its humans. Sure, there are times, just like with a toddler about to wander into traffic, where you do whatever you need to do to maintain safety, but as a general principle, the positive approach is the way to go.

There is gospel in this! God does not use a choke collar on us. God loves us and wants a relationship with us. When God shows up, he likes to be met with the uncontrolled joy that is so clearly seen in our beloved animals.

Let us celebrate that love today, with each other, with the world, with the feathered and furry members of God’s beloved creation who count on our love and care and kindness."

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September 25, 2013

This Sunday, September 29, pets of all kinds are welcome to the Sixth Annual Blessing of the Animals in Monroe park. From 10 a.m. until noon, pets and their guardians are welcome for a service and blessing to be held in the park, right across from Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal church.

This joint event is hosted by Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and the Richmond SPCA and coincides with the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi on October 4. St. Francis’ love for all creatures is traditionally celebrated in the church with a blessing of animals great and small. Several years ago, this wonderful sentiment led the Rector of Grace & Holy Trinity, Reverend Bollin Millner, to approach a member of his congregation, Robin Robertson Starr the CEO of the Richmond SPCA, about collaborating on a pet-friendly annual outdoor service near the beginning of October.

Attendance at the blessing service has grown each year and members of the community bring their dogs as well as a number of cats and other small animals such as bunnies, geckos, hens and even fish.

The service celebrates the bond between people and companion animals, a core tenet of the Richmond SPCA’s mission. Following the service, visitors are encouraged to meet pets available for adoption on our Tail Wag'N. Don't miss this fun annual event!

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April 21, 2010

If you’ve lived in Richmond for any length of time, then it’s very likely that you shopped at Ukrop’s, enjoyed their local produce, rainbow cookies and smiling cashiers, and felt a sense of uncertainty when the news hit that they were being purchased by another company. We, at the Richmond SPCA, were no different. After all, Ukrop’s had generously supplied all of the food and litter for our shelter pets since 2002, thereby enabling us to focus our financial resources directly on our lifesaving programs and services. When we learned that MARTIN’S would be replacing Ukrop’s, we were hopeful that they would continue this amazing partnership, but we could not be certain. Our worries were in vain.

Upon their arrival in Richmond, MARTIN’S graciously opened their arms to the Richmond SPCA and homeless animals by agreeing to continue to donate pet food and cat litter to the orphaned pets awaiting adoption in our center. They also became the official sponsor of the Richmond SPCA’s Humane Education programs, helping us spread the word about kindness to animals and pet responsibility. Like our friends at Ukrop’s, the MARTIN’S family values its customers and is dedicated to giving back to the community in a thoughtful and very meaningful way. Through their, “Living Here, Giving Here” philosophy, MARTIN’S has donated over $15.8 million in cash and product to support the communities in which they thrive. So, I hope you’ll all join me in saying “Welcome, MARTIN’S!”